WASHINGTON — Democratic and Republican members of Congress scrambled Tuesday to seal a $225 million boost to Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system before they break this week for a month-long recess.

Why is it proving so difficult to halt the current conflict between Hamas and Israel? Gwen Ifill gets debate from Robert Satloff of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and foreign policy analyst and writer Mark Perry on the sticking points standing in the way of peace and what each side has to lose — or gain. Continue reading →

A Palestinian park and hospital were hit by Israeli strikes that killed nine children, among others. Meanwhile, four people were killed in a mortar strike by Hamas in southern Israel, and Hamas militants reportedly fired on Israeli soldiers using an underground tunnel near the border. Gwen Ifill reports on the growing calls for a true cease-fire and how both sides are responding. Continue reading →

Israel resumed its attacks in Gaza on Sunday after Hamas rejected a cease-fire offer. Hamas later offered its own temporary truce. Amid the breakdown of the temporary cease-fire, Israeli police say they stopped a car filled with explosives at a checkpoint near Jerusalem. Ruth Eglash of the Washington Post joins Hari Sreenivasan via Skype from Jerusalem. Continue reading →

International efforts to create a lasting cease-fire between Israel and Hamas appear to have broken down, with more Israeli shelling of Gaza and new Hamas rocket fire into Israel on Sunday. For more about the situation on the ground in Gaza, Nicholas Casey of the Wall Street Journal joins NewsHour via Skype from Gaza City. Continue reading →

Israel agreed Saturday to extend a humanitarian truce in the Gaza strip by four hours. But Hamas rejected the four-hour truce extension, and Israel’s military reported three rockets fired from Gaza. How do Israelis feel about the ongoing military conflict? Continue reading →

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the week’s top news, including obstacles to passing an immigration bill, luring Hispanic voters, the White House’s handling of the Mideast conflict, as well as how perception of Hamas and Israel has shifted through social media. Continue reading →

National Security Advisor Susan Rice says the U.S. doesn’t support Hamas’ use of force as an attempt to end economic isolation. She joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the prospect of a 12-hour humanitarian pause in the battle between Israel and Gaza, obstacles to achieving a cease-fire and the sway that the U.S. still holds in Mideast diplomacy, as well as evidence of Moscow’s interference in Ukraine. Continue reading →

The Israeli government rejected a new cease-fire proposal in its battle with Hamas despite the call by U.S., Egypt and the U.N. for a week-long halt and new talks. As the conflict raged on both sides, the World Health Organization appealed again for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate the wounded from Gaza. Hari Sreenivasan reports. Continue reading →